Tombstone Tuesday: Keziah and her Beau Go West to Look for Gold

It's another cold, blustery day outside, which makes it perfect to stroll through some old cemeteries.

Today, I found the tombstone of Daniel Howe SIMMONS (1829-1922) in River View Cemetery in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon.  This confused me for a moment as his death certificate indicates burial at the IOOF Greenwood Cemetery.  First question is:  what is IOOF?  The IOOF is the Odd Fellows Organization that was founded with the thought of giving aid to those who need it without needing recognition, in addition to other beliefs.

Apparently, they had quite the following out west and had burial spots for their members.  Both Daniel, and his wife, Keziah KLINGENSMITH (1823-1907), are buried in their cemeteries--  and in two different states.  Daniel resides in Oregon while Keziah passed away while the couple lived in San Diego, CA in 1907.  Keziah was also buried in an IOOF cemetery, although a headstone for her has not yet appeared for me to find.

Daniel Howe Simmons

Daniel was an active member of the Sons of the American Revolution and his bio at Findagrave indicates he was the only (I'm guessing first) member to be buried in Oregon.  I found it interesting that his stone includes the information that his dad, my grandpa, served in the American Revolution.  Well, yeppers, he did.  Daniel was a young teenager when his dad passed in 1843 in Wheeling, WV.

I don't why, but Daniel, along with his mother and siblings, move to Cincinnati, Hamilton, OH, before the 1850 census.  Daniel's bride was from western PA, and attempts to find her in the 1850 census in either locale have not been fruitful.  Sigh.  Their marriage is recorded in 1852 in Hamilton Co, OH.

Daniel and his new bride, Keziah, went to the Pacific Coast in 1852 to search for gold.  Alas, while he never struck it rich, his family ties to the American Revolution and to the growth of early America are pure gold.

Rest sweetly, Uncle Daniel.

Ahh, genealogy.  Just gotta wonder how Daniel got the middle name of HOWE?  Did his dad know him?

©2017  AS Eldredge

Sources:
Findagrave:  River View Cemetery, Portland, Multnomah, OR
Photo credit:  FriendsofRiverView
Death Certificate for Daniel H Simmons
Obituary of Keziah Simmons

Friends Friday: Uh, Mr President? Appoint me!

Watching the process of being appointed to positions by the President of the United States teaches us many things about politics, grudges, personality differences, etc.  Today, we see all these arguments and confirmations almost instantly with the use of social media and the news.

But what about in the time of our first President?  When George WASHINGTON was first inaugurated in 1789, the power of the written word via letters carried back and forth ruled the day.  While WASHINGTON was known to request in writing the discussion of the cabinet, he also listened and understood the ground upon which he walked was untested.

Looking at history books and Washington's correspondence can reveal much about my own early American roots and ties to the early government.

As previously discussed, my grandpa and his brother-in-law both owned taverns in New York where it was documented at the time the presence of George and his cronies to dine often.  You have probably heard of one of the taverns, FRAUNCES Tavern, but the other one located at 63 Wall St is only mentioned in history books.

Looking around online, I found a letter collection from the revolutionary war period through the National Archives.  While I would love to see the originals, I am thrilled to see the transcriptions of several that pertain to my family.

Founders online- Search for Correspondence in early America

Let's see---

There are a couple to share which will hopefully prompt you to read more about our early country using the letters of their time.

First, on 7 September 1785, President WASHINGTON writes to his friend, Samuel FRAUNCES, and asks if Samuel knows of someone who could be induced to come work for WASHINGTON as a steward.  As history tells us, FRAUNCES himself accepted the position and was a member of the household for a number of years.

Another example is one that involves the nephew of FRAUNCES, William SIMMONS (my uncle).  On July 4, 1791, SIMMONS writes to WASHINGTON asking for the appointment as auditor of the United States.  SIMMONS, who lived in Philadelphia at the time was a clerk in the auditor's office, was first turned down for the position by WASHINGTON, but was given the position of accountant in the War Department upon a reference by Alexander HAMILTON.

Ahh, genealogy.  I wonder--  did old George ask Samuel if he should appoint his nephew for the job?   Hmmmm....

©2017  AS Eldredge

Sources:
http://www.presidentprofiles.com/Washington-Johnson/George-Washington-First-term.html
https://founders.archives.gov/search/Correspondent%3A%22Washington%2C%20George%22%20Correspondent%3A%22Fraunces%2C%20Samuel%22

“From George Washington to Samuel Fraunces, 7 September 1785,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-03-02-0215. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 3, 19 May 1785 – 31 March 1786, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1994, p. 236.]

“To George Washington from William Simmons, 4 July 1791,” Founders Online, National Archives, last modified December 28, 2016, http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-08-02-0216. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 8, 22 March 1791 – 22 September 1791, ed. Mark A. Mastromarino. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 318–319.]

Can I Have a Tombstone Tuesday?

The life of a family mystery seeker.  Always looking, sometimes finding....

Could I have found the final resting place of William HAMILTON. the first husband?

I have known that my 2g aunt was married twice. You see, her niece told me so.  First, to a William HAMILTON who the 1880 census tells us he was age 67, thus his birth year is about 1813.  The 1880 census also tells us William and Martha HAMILTON are living in Sewickly, Allegheny PA.

Martha is the much younger second (assumed) wife.

This William HAMILTON (1813-1893) is buried at the Blackburn United Methodist Church Cemetery in Sewickly, Allegheny, PA, with his first ( I am assuming here) wife, Mary STEVENS (1818-1871).

Is this the right William HAMILTON?  Circumstantial right now, but the 1860 census has Martha living with her mother in the same general little area as William and his family. Picture this:  William's wife dies in 1871.  Martha and her William are married by the 1880 census.

This William dies in 1893, conveniently after the birth of Martha's niece in 1891.  This niece is named for her Aunt Martha HAMILTON since Martha had no children of her own.

Martha's next appearance is in 1901 when she remarries Daniel BULFORD (1839-1909) after the 1897 death of his first wife, Margaret.

The perplexing question is: Is this the right William HAMILTON? Or is there another one tucked away in Allegheny County?

Ahh, genealogy.  Always hoping the final answer is one stone away.


Sources:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=75772545

©2016 ASEldredge